Working On The Party

Above, the artist, Asya, deep in thought at Gladstone's 4 Fish. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Work is proceeding on the portrait unveiling party (a good excuse for a party, eh?) on October 2 at The Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills.

Above, a recent portrait by Asya.

The party begins at 1:00.

Along with hors d' oeuvres, wine and ice tea (for our non-drinker friends), we are expecting some "door prizes" of "adult beverages" and Nicaraguan cigars. Since we have an outdoor patio that is part of the Atlantis Room, perhaps one can light up there?

On the portrait itself, when I commissioned it, I gave Asya free rein to have fun with it. She was going for a nineteenth century French impressionism style. I think she succeeded.

One person who has seen the portrait said:

Exactly, Seraut and Cézanne, looks more like them. Nice portrait, Asya.

For more on the unveiling party, go here.

Picked Up The Painting!

Above, Asya removing the protective plastic sheeting
from the painting in The Beast. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Riddle me this, my fine-feathered finks! (Mixing The Riddler and The Penguin.)

What to get when you mix (speaking of mixing) Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, some more French impressionist artists and Asya?

The answer: a painting of yours truly in the styles of the aforementioned French and Dutch impressionists by Asya!

I picked up the finished painting today. And it is, indeed, done in 19th Century impressionist style. Asya told me several days ago that she was leaning that way. I told her that she has free-rein and to go with how she feels.

The results are rather interesting. Don't get me wrong, I do like it! It is definitely me in the painting. It is eye-catching!

As we sat in a Japanese restaurant today over Sapporo beer (they were out of Asahi) in the Pico-Robertson district of Los Angeles, different things would catch my eyes. First, it was the brush strokes in the foliage (pine tree). Second, the sky. Third, the coloring (especially the blues). Fourth, the capturing of the gold foil of Kinkaku-ji. And so on.

The finished painting, once hung, will definitely brighten the room (I have a bunch of re-arranging to do). It has to sit for about five more days to fully dry. Once that's done, a suitable frame will have to be found.

She was worried that I would be disappointed that it wasn't done in a more traditional or formal manner (Norman Rockwell, Rembrandt, etc.). I told her that I liked it just fine. I wanted to see how a painter would interpret me and that's what I got!

I am looking to host a little unveiling party for friends and associates. I have been in contact with The Odyssey Restaurant in Chatsworth and they sent me an email with an attachment of different party plans. I am limiting it to 25 to 40 people. I'll be pouring over it over the next few days. It will probably be held on a Sunday in the next three or four weeks. If you have my email or are a Facebook friend, let me know if you wish to be invited to the "art event of the year".

While she was working on the painting in her apartment complex's recreation room (that she uses as a studio), she told me that different residents would come in and scrutinize it. She said all comments were positive. Some even thought she was painting a (get this!) movie star. Uh-huh!

Sorry for the "tease" picture. But I am saving the full painting for the unveiling party. I want to see the guests' reactions. It should be fun!

UPDATE (8/1/16):  Last night, I was out on a dinner date with Dawn and she was "going crazy" with curiosity about the painting. I told her about the impressionistic style and said I would give her a "peek". (I took some photos of the painting when I met with Asya to pick it up.) She could barely contain herself. I showed one of the photos to Dawn and she was very impressed and liked it. She complimented Asya for the good job she did.